


Clemency For His Mistakes

by Closeted_Calliope



Category: Raggedy Ann & Andy - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, One-sided rivals to lovers, Pining, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, War PTSD, also he's not actually their uncle that's just his name, because i miss him and so does the raggedy server, gay pining, i swear this isn't like peoplee who ship the raggedy sibs together, one-sided rivals, rated t for mentions of war violence and ptsd, tender moments, we are bringing uncle clem into the a musical adventure universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:27:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29473188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Closeted_Calliope/pseuds/Closeted_Calliope
Summary: Marcella receives a new doll from a flea market, a very old Scottish soldier named Uncle Clem. He intimidates a lot of the other toys in the playroom at first, due to his war-hardened personality and actions, except for Andy. Andy's just excited to have another ruff 'n rowdy "boy's toy" like himself.As time goes on, Andy and Clem grow closer, though it's not in the way either of them could have imagined......
Relationships: Raggedy Andy/Uncle Clem, Raggedy Ann/Babette
Comments: 61
Kudos: 91





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First and foremost, we need a disclaimer: uncle clem is just his name, he's not actually their uncle. we wouldn't be here if he was actually their uncle, I assure you of that. 
> 
> But anyway, me and the gay little raggedy discord decided that we needed to bring back uncle clem into the a musical adventure universe, because he's a funny little guy and's got some interesting implications. so consider this our little sort of effort as rebooting him! we are tweaking his personality a bit, but i think you all will really enjoy the idea we thought up.
> 
> ADDITIONALLY, the visual description of Clem is based off a sort of redesign my buddy Leo (@kind-little-fella on tumblr) whipped up. It is. so good. please go look at his art GOD
> 
> It's gonna get really sad but also really gay. Hope you enjoy!

Marcella looked around the flea market with distaste. She really wish she hadn't been brought along, but her mom didn't have time to drop her off at home after school before running errands, so along she came. 

She at least had Raggedy Andy with her, as she'd brought him to school with her that day, and she'd make him run along the piles of clothes and other old goodies, despite her mother telling her to stop multiple times. She couldn't help herself, though. The flea market was not a very fun place for a young girl to be, full of old junk that she didn't want or need. 

And that's when they passed by the old toy section. Marcella's mother, happy to find a distraction for her daughter, suggested, "Marcella, why don't you go look at some of the toys? If you're good, you might be able to pick one out to take home!"

Marcella lit up at the idea. "Okay, Mom!" She held Andy close to her and whispered to him, "Let's see if we can find you a new friend, Raggedy Andy!"

Andy didn't reply, because he didn't move in front of human people, but he was secretly not as excited as Marcella was. She was just going to pick another dumb doll, and he'd be surrounded by even _more_ girls. Was it too much to ask to get another boy toy in the playroom sometimes?

Ignorant to Andy's internal distaste, Marcella walked around the different shelves and tables in the flea market, finding all sorts of old toys and dolls. Unfortunately, most of them were either meant for children far younger than her, or they were trucks and trains and other toys boys were more inclined to like. It wasn't that Marcella didn't like trucks and trains, but when she only had the option to pick out one toy, she wanted to make sure it was one she would play with a lot.

Just as she was about to give up and go back to her mother with just Andy, she noticed a little red-shoed foot sticking out of a cardboard box, hidden underneath one of the tables. 

Curious, she placed Andy down on the floor and stooped over to pull the box out. Inside was a doll unlike any of the others she had so far. 

He was very tall, taller than either of the Raggedys, but not nearly as tall as Topsy. He wore a green jacket, a red scarf, a burgundy scarf, and most curiously of all, a little plaid skirt. He also had a strange drum of sorts in his hand, a tiny little mustache just underneath his nose, and a few holes in his knees, though it wasn't anything that couldn't be fixed.

"Oh, hello there!" Marcella greeted the doll. "My name's Marcella, what's yours?"

The strange doll didn't answer, because he was a doll. there was, however, a tiny little tag sticking out from under his skirt. She lifted it just enough to read the small inscription imprinted on the tag: _Uncle Clem, Jack's friend_.

"Uncle Clem..." Marcella nodded and took his hand in her own. "I think you will make a great new friend to the others! Let's go tell Mom!" She scooped up Andy and left the toy section.

As Marcella searched for her mother inside the flea market, excited to show her her newest friend, Andy could barely contain the excitement inside of his little fabric body. 

Another boy? Coming to the playroom? Oh, this was going to be the most exciting thing to happen in ages! He could hardly wait!

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marcella burst into the play room excitedly and tossed the dolls inside. She wanted to play with her new toy, but they'd gotten home so late that it was already time for dinner, and she couldn't play with them until after.

"Raggedy Ann, you're in charge until I get back!" She informed the doll on the rocking chair as she closed the playroom door behind her.

As soon as the door shut, Ann got to her feet and walked over to help her brother up.She looked at the new guy with a curious grin. "Andy, who's this?"

"Marcella found him at the flea market earlier, his name's Clem, I think," Andy explained as he got to his feet.

They watched as the new guy got up and dusted himself off, an unreadable expression on his face as he stared at the Raggedys. 

As the other toys came out to see what was happening, the three dolls just stared at each other.

Then Andy pointed one of his mitts toward Clem. "That's a cool skirt you got there."

Clem scowled. "It's a kilt..."

"O-Oh, sorry." Andy felt as though Clem's button eyes were piercing his very soul.

Clem glared at all the toys, who had gathered around him, their intrigued smiles slowly morphing into concern at the sight of his obvious distaste.

"Listen up, you cowards!" he announced, his voice ringing sharp throughout the playroom. "My name is Uncle Clem, and I will be your superior for the following months. I expect you will remain focused, loyal, and prepared until we are able to successfully capture the land."

The other toys were shocked and confused. 

"Capture the land?" Ann echoed. "What... what do you mean?"

Clem looked incredulous. "What do I mean? I mean we are going to take over this land from the Axis powers!" He gestured to the whole of the playroom. "We need to keep them from winning this war!"

Andy stepped protectively in front of his sister and snapped, "Okay, you listen here, buster-"

"It's Uncle Clem." He interrupted, taking a step closer and scowling down at Andy.

Andy scoffed, "I'm not gonna call you Uncle. That's really weird."

"Well you should. That's no way to talk to your superior, dear boy."

"Who said you're my superior? Who said anything about a war? Listen here, Clem, I don't know what happened before you came here, but you can't just start ordering us around and expect us to follow you blindly! We don't even know you!" Andy punctuated his rant with a frown and a cross of his arms.

Clem looked at thee other toys and noticed that they seemed to be in general agreement of this angry little man's words, so he took a step back and said, avoiding eye contact, "I'm... sorry, I fear I may have gotten off on the wrong foot here."

Andy visibly relaxed a little. "Well, apology accepted, just please try to chill out a little bit, yeah?"

Clem hesitated, before nodding curtly. "Of course."

"That's great. Well, in the meantime, My name is Raggedy Andy, this here is my sister Raggedy Ann, and we would like to welcome you to Marcella's playroom! If you're willing to play nice," Andy placed extra emphasis on 'play nice', "we should be able to get along just fine."

"That sounds just fine."

As the other toys began going around and introducing themselves to him, Clem was only partially paying attention. Clearly, these folk were either spies trying to win him over or citizens that had just gotten themselves far too brainwashed by all the propaganda they'd had forced down their throats. Either way, he couldn't trust them, but he couldn't just take them out either; the girl would get too suspicious. 

He'd have to figure out a way to find out what was really going on here, and to do that, he needed to lay low until the moment was right. 

The pushy one, Andy.... he seemed to be the leader of these people. If he could gain his trust, or better yet, assert his dominance over him, he could maybe convince them to join the right side!

But for now, he was going to have to, as Andy so eloquently put it, "play nice".

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The toys managed to warm up to Clem, at least a little bit. They invited him to join in their fun and games, though it was mostly out of politeness and a little bit of fear as to what he'd do if he felt excluded. 

To their relief, he didn't really want to play with them, preferring to stand in the corner all by himself while he watched them with a cold expression. 

Andy noticed him as he played, watching the others like a hawk, and sighed. "This guy really needs to take a load out before I lose it," He mumbled.

"Oh, please, Andrew," Ann chided, "he's probably not used to being around others so much. I mean, who knows how long he's been in that flea market!"

"Still, I think we should be careful. He seems a little bit....out there," Andy insisted. "Like, even moreso than the Camel when we first met."

"Alright, Andy, I'll try to be careful around him. But I still think that we also need to be nice, too."

Andy shrugged. "I mean, we can try it." 

Before long, it had grown late and it was time to head to sleep. The toys assumed that Marcella had gotten too tired after dinner to come play, which was probably for the best, considering they had grown a bit tired from the whole ordeal with Uncle Clem. 

The toys walked over to their beds, and as they began to climb into them, Clem turned to Andy and asked, "So... where do _you_ sleep?"

"Oh, my bed's just over there," Andy replied, pointing to a bed that was a bit bigger than the others.

Clem smirked as he walked over to the bed, looked it over for a moment and then sat on the edge. "Well, it certainly appears that this will be the bed I'll be sleeping in tonight."

He felt a sense of pride rise up inside him at the look of surprise on Andy's face. It was a small act of assertion, sure, but if it was truly this effective, he'd have this excuse of a leader overthrown in no time!

But then Andy grinned and exclaimed, "Alright! I've always wanted a sleeping buddy!"

"What."

"Scoot over, gotta make sure I fit too." Andy pushed Clem to the other side and got underneath the covers. "Thanks for agreeing to share, man! I don't think there's enough beds for all of us right now, and this is a lot better than making someone sleep on the floor!"

"Uh, yeah, sure, no problem," Clem replied awkwardly, climbing into the bed next to Andy, doing his best not to touch the other doll.

"G'night, Clem!"

"G-Goodnight, Andy."

Andy stared up at the ceiling happily. He'll admit, he didn't completely trust Clem, not really, but if he was so willing to give this place a shot that he was willing to share a bed with him?

Maybe this guy wouldn't be so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah that's the end of the first part. we'll get more into Clem's Tragic Backstory in the coming chapters, but I hope y'all enjoyed anyway. I blame the raggedy server for all of this, and I'll see y'all next time!!
> 
> -CC


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we got a little peek into Clem's previous life in this one, but it's mostly more silly stuff the raggedy discord helped me come up with. also babette and clem are wlw/mlm hostility and we love that for them. Hope y'all enjoy!

_"Ma, I got a letter in the mail today..."_

_Uncle Clem watched from his perch on the mantle as Jack, his boy, his longest friend, stood anxiously before his mother._

_They used to have loads of fun when Jack was a young boy, but now that he had grown up, he'd been placed on the mantle for all to see. He'd been passed down from father to son for a nearly three generations now, and was viewed as a beloved heirloom at this point._

_Jack's mother paused in the middle of her dishwashing, a concerned look on her face. She whispered, "Y-You don't mean...."_

_Jack nodded sadly. "They drafted me, Ma...."_

_Clem could only watch as Jack's mother shrieked and dropped the cup she was cleaning to the ground, where it shattered into a thousand pieces. "Oh, no! Please! Not my baby boy!' She wailed, sobbing into her hands._

_"Don't worry now, Ma," Jack begged as he wrapped his mom up in his arms, "I promise I'll be extra careful!"_

_His mother laughed humorlessly, tearfully, into her sons shoulder, "You know it's about more than just being careful, Jackie. Being careful doesn't s-stop a bullet from going through your head..." She trailed off into another fit of sobs._

_Clem watched as they held each other for a few minutes in teary silence. He knew there was nothing he could do to help; he was just a doll, and this war was much bigger than he could handle. In fact, this was bigger than all of Europe._

_"I'll be fine, Ma, I have to be, someone's gotta be here to protect you and the girls. I know how hard it's been since we lost Pa, but I promise I'll make it back."_

_His mother shook her head. "You don't know that."_

_"No, but you know I'll stop at nothing to make sure I come home safe._

_They stood together like that for a very long time, and Clem was helpless to do anything. He could only stare._

Clem sat up in bed with a start, tears brimming at his eyes. He panted heavily and looked around at his surroundings. He was in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room, and he could not remember what had happened. This wasn't the flea market he'd spent years upon years waiting for Jack in. 

Had the Axis powers kidnapped him and planning on lulling him into a false sense of security? What were they planning on doing with him? Were they going to torture him? What about-

"Clem, is that you?" A voice groggily piped up beside him, causing Clem to jump a bit.

It was Andy, eyes half lidded, somehow, sitting up in his bed. "Are you okay? What happened?" He asked, genuine concern behind his tired button eyes. 

That's when it all came back to Clem: being bought at the flea market by that girl, meeting all these strange toys, becoming 'sleeping buddies' with the leader of the group. 

He let out a sigh of relief, glad to not be prepped for some horrible torture. "I'm fine, now go back to sleep," He whispered, turning over in the bed to face away from Andy and wiping his tears away. He couldn't show weakness around a potential enemy.

"A-Are you sure? Because I-"

"I said I'm fine!" Clem hissed, turning just enough to glare at Andy. 

Andy's eyes widened a bit. "Oh, uh, sorry, g'night."

Clem nodded and he turned back away from Andy. 

Andy lay on his back and sighed. He had a feeling there was more to Clem than he was letting on, and he wasn't as okay as he wanted others to believe, but there was no way he trusted him enough to talk about that yet. 

For now, he just hoped the rest of the night went smoothly for Clem.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Clem reawakened the next day, he found himself alone in the bed. He also noticed all the other beds were empty. 

He furrowed his brow with a frown. This was highly suspicious; where did everyone else go? And why didn't they bother to wake him up? What were these folks planning?

Cautiously, not wanting to drop his guard for even a second, he slipped silently out of the bed and crept towards the main area of the playroom, peeking out from behind a bookcase.

The other toys were playing about as usual. Grandpa was chatting with The Camel, as well as Barney Beanbag, who was holding a half-asleep Socko. Maxi-Fixit and Susie Pincushion were dancing around at the sound of Topsy tapping away at the keys on the toy piano. The Twin Pennies were just sitting in a corner, staring into each other's eyes creepily. No one really knew why they were like this. And Ann was talking to a taller doll with huge golden curls Clem hadn't seen before, with Andy awkwardly standing beside them and looking really bored. 

Clem scoffed quietly at the sight. This would not be an easy feat, to train into war-ready soldiers, he knew that much.

Andy glanced over and noticed that Clem was awake, peeking around the bookshelf with what he thought was shyness, or at least apprehension at the idea of getting to know everyone. He smiled and waved at Clem. 

Clem froze up a bit and waved back awkwardly. 

Andy trotted across the playroom to greet the Scottish doll. "Clem! You're finally awake! How'd you sleep?"

"It was.... decent. Good enough considering the circumstances..." He awkwardly trailed off.

Andy looked confused. "What... _circumstances_ are you talking about?"

Clem looked away and stated curtly. "I'm afraid that's classified information."

"Oh-kaaaaaayyyyyy..... uh, did you want to come join the rest of us? I was just chilling with Annie and Babette, and it was _so boring_ , it was just a bunch of girly stuff like tea parties and they were being gross and mushy again."

Andy took Clem by the arm and dragged him over towards his sister and the other doll.

Unable to tear himself from Andy's surprisingly strong grasp, he asked, "Who's Babette?"

"Oh yeah! She didn't come out of the dollhouse yesterday, I forgot. Babette is Ann's girlfriend, she's a French porcelain doll Marcella got for her birthday last year!"

 _Girls are allowed to have girlfriends now? Huh, wonder when that happened,_ Clem thought, though he didn't dare say out loud. He didn't want to potentially break their trust. So, he chose to focus on something else. "French, you say?"

"Yup, she's all the way from Paris. Though she likes being in the playroom with Annie and us a lot better."

"Hmm, interesting..."

They stopped in front of the girls, who stood cloth mitt in porcelain hand. "Babette, this is Clem, Marcella picked him up at the flea market yesterday."

"Actually, it's Uncle-"

"We're not gonna call you Uncle, Clem. It's weird."

Babette smiled and stuck her free hand out for Clem to meet. "Pleasure to meet you, Clem," she greeted, her accent twirling around her words.

Clem allowed himself to smile a little bit and gently took her hand. "Oh, please, the pleasure is all mine," he replied.

This was... unexpectedly good. Not only was she another European, she could also be a potential ally in getting information out of these strangers.

"So, Clem," Ann started, "how are you feeling about the playroom so far? We really want you to feel welcome, since you're living here and all."

Clem looked amused at the question. "It's... alright. It will do quite nicely until Jack comes."

"Who's Jack?"

"Why, Jack is my boy!" Clem explained with a huge grin, the first anyone had seen since he'd arrived. "He's loved me more than anyone else that's owned me! He lost track of me during the war, but I know he's gonna come back someday! After all, he loves me far too much to just let me disappear for too long!"

The other three stared at him in awe for a moment. This was.... probably not good. In fact, it was probably really, _really_ bad. But prying or disagreeing with him was probably not a good idea, especially considering how he reacted when he first arrived.

Unfortunately, Babette wasn't there when he first arrived.

She snorted with laughter, "I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but I fear your 'boy' might not be coming back any time soon."

"W-What do you mean?" Clem demanded, taken aback by her certainty.

"Babette, please don't," Ann begged quietly.

Yet Babette continued with a smirk, "The chances of him finding you here, if he's even still looking, are rather slim, _monsieur_. How would he even know where to find you in here?"

"He'll figure it out! Jack... Jack is smart!" Clem insisted, taking a furious step towards Babette. "He's gonna find me and he's gonna take me back home with him! Just you wait!"

Babette sneered down at Clem, as she still managed to tower over him, but not by much, "I fear we may be waiting forever if we were to do that."

"I've been through war, ma'am, I am not above tusslin' with a woman if the situation requires."

"I've overthrown a ship of ravenous pirates, you would do well not to underestimate me."

The two glared at each other menacingly, even as Ann and Andy did their best to drag them apart. 

"C'mon, please don't do this, you two!" Ann exclaimed as she struggled to keep Babette from swinging at Clem.

Andy wrapped his arms around Clem's middle and pulled him back, agreeing, "Yeah, you two need to knock it off! Marcella's gonna be real sad if her toys are all broken."

Babette tore herself from Ann's grasp indignantly. "I will not apologize for being right!" Then she spun on her heel and stomped back to her dollhouse to simmer.

Ann sighed defeatedly. She loved Babette, she really truly did, but she was far too good at starting problems.

Clem stopped struggling as he watched Babette retreat. Despite his still present anger, he couldn't help but feel a bit of pride at being the 'winner' of their altercation. Maybe she'd view him as someone to be feared should he go visit her in search of information.

He then realized that Andy was still holding onto his middle. He shook himself out of his hold. "

"Oops, sorry 'bout that," Andy mumbled.

Ann winced. "I'm really sorry about Babette, Clem," she apologized, "She isn't exactly the most... _friendly_ person, when it comes to strangers. Though that doesn't make what she said okay, of course..."

Clem adjusted his hat and assured her, however coldly, "It's alright. No real harm done. Might just take a while for us to get along, is all." He took a shaky breath and added. "You'll have to excuse me for a moment."

Before either of the Raggedys could reply, he turned and walked back over towards the bookcase that hid the beds.

Andy huffed, "Well, that was a complete disaster."

Ann smacked him lightly in the arm and hissed, "Andrew, this is really bad! How are we supposed to keep the peace in the playroom if Clem keeps trying to fight everyone he doesn't agree with?"

"I mean, Babette wasn't completely innocent there...."

"But Clem wasn't either. We need to figure out a way to keep him from butting heads with everyone before someone gets hurt!"

"Okay, how do you think we go about doing this, sister dearest?"

Ann sighed, "I... I don't know, but we need to start thinking about it. I'm gonna go fill Babette in on what's going on, maybe tell her to try and be a little nicer to Clem."

"Maybe I should go talk to Clem," Andy suggested, "you know, like man to man."

"Okay, but give him a bit of space first. I think he needs a little time to cool down."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

Ann nodded, then began to make her way towards the dollhouse. 

Andy looked towards the bookcase, sure that Clem was hiding out behind it. He really didn't think Clem was all that bad, if a bit excitable and fight-ready. Well, maybe they'd have to wrassle a bit if a good fight was what he was looking for. 

Andy didn't really know what to do, but he still wanted to make this place somewhere Clem could learn to love. He didn't want his new boy buddy to ruin everything by making the people he cares about scared and uncomfortable. Sure, a boy to hang out with would be nice, but the others came first, no matter what.

He really hoped it wouldn't come to that, though.

Meanwhile, Clem stood frozen behind the bookshelf, struggling to breathe. His mits were rolled into fists so tight, they were shaking, and he futilely tried to keep the tears from rolling down his cheeks. He couldn't let the others, the enemy, to see him like this. He had to be strong, just like Jack was.

This... _Babette_... she had no idea what she was talking about. 

Jack was going to come back for him, someday, some way.

He was so sure of it, he was willing to bet his soul on it. 

And when Jack did find him, he'd be ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah that's what we got so far. probably gonna get into clem talking about war stuff next time tbh. i honestly have no idea what i'm doing but the raggedy server seems to like it so. uh. yeah. see y'all next time lol
> 
> -CC


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're gonna keep chuggin along with the gay little dolls, mainly because I keep thing about this one scene that I *need* to implement into this fic. We're gonna get into some interactions with the other toys, which will go...... well, it's gonna go. Also, sorry if you like the twin pennies, bc i'm about to josh on them real hard lol. Hope y'all enjoy!

Andy approached the bookshelf and prepared to look around as Clem popped back around the corner.

"Oh! I was just about to come get you, Clem! Feel any better?"

"Yes, much," Clem replied with a smile. He really didn't but he wasn't going to tell any of these strangers that.

"Well, Babette probably won't be out for a while, since she needs to whine dramatically to Ann, I guess," Andy explained with a roll of his eyes, garnering a small snort of a laughter from Clem, "so you should be able to come hang out with the rest of us without being terrorized by her. ."

"I very much appreciate that, Andy."

"No problem! So, what did you want to do now? We could go hang out with some of the others if you wanted."

Clem looked out at the rest of the toys. He wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of having to interact with these strangers, but he knew he probably had to in order to gain their trust and appease Andy. None of the other toys looked particularly interesting or easy to recruit to his cause, though.

And then his eyes fell upon the Twin Pennies, who still hadn't moved since the last time he looked at him.

"What about those two over there?"

"Y-You mean the Twin Pennies?!?!" Andy seemed shocked. "Why do you want to hang out with them? They're so creepy!"

"Really? They don't seem that bad to me." Clem did find it a little odd that they preferred to sit and stare at each other rather than, you know, actually interact with the others, but he could also relate to that on some sort of strange level.

"I mean, we can hang out with them if you really want to, but is it cool if you do most of the talking?" Andy asked anxiously. "They _seriously_ freak me out."

"Sure?"

They headed over to the Twin Pennies' little corner, Andy cowering behind Clem a bit and looking uncomfortable. 

Clem held back a scoff. Surely these dolls weren't as bad as Andy was making them out to be, right?

As they approached, the Twin Pennies turned their heads to faced them in unison, resulting from a startled yelp from Andy. They got to their feet and began to sing one of their little songs.

" _Oh, look, a brand new friend, decided to come to town! Whattya say we give you a hand, and really show you around? Woah-oh!_ "

Andy shuddered visibly. "Oh my gosh, why are they like this?"

Clem, on the other hand, couldn't help but smile. "Wow, you two sure are funny, aren't you?"

Andy stared at him in shock. "You _like_ them?"

Meanwhile, the Twin Pennies, excited to find someone that appreciated their antics, began to dance about together.

Clem chuckled as he watched them dance. "I like these ones, Andy. I like their silly songs and dances.

"You've gotta be kidding me."

"You might've noticed, but I'm not exactly the kidding type."

Andy could only helplessly watch as the Pennies danced, Clem completely enraptured in their disturbing performance. "Wow..... That's, uh......"

Clem watched the Pennies move for a few more moments before a great idea came to him. "Oh! You know what will help make this even better?"

"What? Telling them to stop?"

Ignoring Andy's suggestion, Clem reached into the pouch in his belt and pulled out a beater. He took a knee and rested the drum he always carried around him upon it.

To Andy's surprise, he began to play the little drum in his hand and the Twin Pennies began to dance to the beat he was playing.

All of Andy's fear suddenly began to fade away as he watched Clem play away. He rocked the beater back and forth between his fingers quickly to make the rhythm and moved it across the skin of the drum to change the pitch. 

The Pennies were probably dancing faster and faster, getting more and more violent with their movements, but Andy could only focus on Clem as he played away with a smile.

Before long, the other toys (sans Ann and Babette) took notice of the noise and came over to investigate. They formed a loose circle around Clem and the Pennies, though none of them seemed to notice, too caught up in the music. 

The toys were amazed. Who know that the three toys everyone was most apprehensive up could do something so entertaining?

Clem finished off his little drum solo with a flourish of his arm and the Twin Pennies struck a dramatic pose. The other toys clapped and applauded, pleased with the performance.

"Wow, Clem, I didn't know you were so good at playing the drum!"

Clem rose to his feet with a sheepish smile. "It's called a bodhran, and it's a traditional instrument of Scotland."

Andy stared at him, intrigued. "You're Scottish?!?"

"Wh.... What did you think the kilt was for?"

Ignoring the question, Andy asked, "Do you remember what it was like in Scotland?"

Clem was taken aback from the question, slowly returning the beater to his pouch. "A little bit.... though it's been many, many years since I've been there."

"What do you remember?" Topsy asked.

"Do you remember anything at all?" Maxi-Fixit chimed in.

"Please tell us!" Socko exclaimed.

It was in this moment that Clem became aware of the amount of eyes that had fallen on him. He really didn't want to talk about something so personal in front of all these people he barely knew.

"Uh...."

That's when Andy piped up, "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."

The other toys followed up with a chorus of "Yes! Of course! No pressure!"

Clem sighed in relief, glad he didn't have to bare his soul to these strangers just yet. "Maybe another time, perhaps," he suggested.

" _Monsieur_ Clem."

The crowd of toys turned to find Babette standing there, a stern looking Ann standing beside her. Babette looked annoyed, but also unwilling to cross her girlfriend. She sighed and explained "I've come to apologize."

Clem raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh really?"

"I shouldn't have made fun for something that was clearly very important to you."

Ann elbowed her gently in the side, and she added with a huff, "And I'm sorry."

The insincerity in her voice was obvious and impossible to ignore, but Clem didn't think starting a feud with her was the best way of gaining the trust of the others. Plus, it was kind of funny how much she clearly didn't want to apologize to him, and he was going to consider this a win on his part. "Apology accepted."

Andy turned to Clem and said, "Glad you two made up, but we got more important issues to attend to: Do you think you could teach me to play your bodrum?"

"It's 'bodhran', actually."

"Right, yeah, my bad. Do you think you could teach me to play your bodhran?"

"You'd really be interested in playing it?" Clem had been around for quite a while, and out of all the toys he'd met in his life, none had ever expressed such clear genuine interest in him and his culture.

Andy nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"

"Maybe I'll have to, uh, show you how it all works some time..." Clem hummed with a small smile.

Before Andy could express further excitement, the toys then heard a set of footsteps stamping up the stairs.

They all managed to fall into doll mode just as Marcella threw open the door with a huge smile.

Playtime had begun at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hopee y'all enjoyed this chapter! next one's probably gonna have some sort of small time skip, but that's as far as I know so far ashbdfkgf. See y'all next time! 
> 
> -CC


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we're gonna start really seeing glimpses of Clem's backstory, as well as get an idea of how Clem interacts with the other toys. We got a little bit of that before but now it's gonna be better lol. Also, boys be bonding. Hope you enjoy!

Andy hummed quietly from his position on a bouncy ball, watching as Clem began his 'training' session with the Twin Pennies. 

He did this just about every day: he'd round up his 'soldiers', march in front of them and yell at them about needing to be tough and hard and ready to kill if they wanted to beat the Axis powers. Of course, the Pennies didn't mind too much, but Andy could tell the others found it a bit worrying.

Truth be told, he didn't blame them. The Twin Pennies being able to fight was a horrifying outcome he didn't want to consider.

Still, it wasn't as though they actually _fought_ , per se, it was moreso just Clem yelling at them for half an hour like a drill seargent and then he'd try to have them spar with him, though by that point the Pennies would lose interest and run off to go dance around or something. And then Andy would watch as Clem's face scrunched up in frustration, before sighing defeatedly.

Andy found it very strange, though he was a bit hesitant to confront him about it.

It had been two weeks since Clem had joined their little playroom family, and while things were running a bit more smoothly than they had when he first arrived, there was still an uncomfortable feeling to the air whenever he was around. Or at least, that's what Annie told him.

Andy didn't see much of it, but apparently, Clem was kind of... _unsettling_ when it came to interacting with the others. Nothing that made anyone worried for anyone else's safety, but still quite odd.

Sometimes, when he was talking with others, he'd whip his head around and look over his shoulder, like he was expecting to find someone looking back at him, trying to get the jump on him. There was never anyone there, however, and he'd just stare for a moment before returning to the conversation at hand, ignoring any questions the others asked.

He was also awfully fidgety, messing around with the edge of his scarf or the buttons on his jacket cuffs. This wasn't necessarily _bad_ , or even all that unusual, considering the other toys often had similar fidgets, but they'd noticed when he did it more frequently when asked about the war, his past, Jack, where he'd freeze up and refuse to answer.

He'd often make strange remarks to Babette; nothing that would make her uncomfortable, of course, but he'd often say strange phrases or words and expect her to understand what he was trying to say, and get confused and frustrated when she didn't understand.

Besides that and his general standoffishness, however, Clem generally fit right in with the rest of the lot. Andy had really grown to appreciate his company. It was nice having having someone to hang out with that wasn't into all that girly mushy junk like the others.

He pushed himself off the bouncy ball and walked over to Clem. "How'd training go today?" he asked.

Clem jumped a little at the sudden voice, but visibly relaxed when he saw it was just Andy. "Oh, hello there, Andy. Training.... well, it went as well as I expected." Clem smiled sadly. "I'm starting to wonder if I have a lost cause on my hands."

Andy frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Clem sighed, "I just wish they'd be more open to the idea of sparring with me, but I just don't think they're interested in that."

That's when it hit Andy. He suggested, "Well, I mean, I could spar with you!"

"R-Really?"

"Sure! I've wanted someone to wrassle with since forever!" Andy replied cheerfully. "No one else really wants to and its _soooooooooo_ boring."

Clem considered this for a moment, before hesitantly asking, "Are you sure? I can get a bit intense when it comes to sparring."

"Please," Andy scoffed with a smirk, "I once took on a giant taffy monster, I think I can handle fighting another doll."

Clem raised an eyebrow. "You took on a giant taffy monster, eh?"

"Oh yeah, it's kind of a long story though."

"You'll have to tell it to me sometime then."

"Only if you tell me one of your war stories."

Clem smirked and stuck his hand out to him. "Deal."

Andy took it with a smile.

The smile disappeared almost immediately as Clem grabbed Andy's hand in both of his and swung him over his head with all his might, launching him to the floor. He slid a few inches upon landing, and he lay there in stunned silence. It didn't hurt, of course, given that he was made of fabric, but he was very much not expecting this turn of events.

Clem walked over to him and smiled mischievously down. "Rule number one of sparring, laddie," He said teasingly, "expect the unexpected."

Andy pushed himself up with a groan, though he still smiled. "Oh, you're good. This is gonna be fun."

"Well, it'll be fun for at least one of us."

As soon as Andy got to his feet, he placed himself in what he hoped was an intimidating battle stance. Clem smirked as he got into his own fighting position.

The boys circled around each other for a moment, eyeing each other up and down.

The Twin Pennies, standing off to the side, stopped whatever they were doing and turned towards the dolls preparing to tussle.

Andy lunged with a punch at Clem, who quickly sidestepped out of the way. He pushed Andy in the side, sending him stumbling towards the Pennies.

He managed to catch himself though, raising his fists with a small smile. 

He circled around Clem again, waiting for him to attack first.

It didn't take long for Clem to step in and swing at Andy. Andy ducked out of the way wrapped his arms around Clem's middle, trying to push him to the ground.

Clem was too sturdy, though and refused to budge. He effortlessly picked Andy up by the shoulders and slammed him down on the ground. 

The Pennies cheered, glad to see their friend winning the fight.

Pinned down, Andy could only helplessly watch as Clem got up in his face and whispered, "I win."

Andy scoffed, "Beginner's luck, I'll get you next time."

"I'm sure you will," Clem said with a shake of his head, leaning back and extending his hand for Andy to take.

Andy hesitated. "You're not gonna flip me onto the ground again, are you?"

"It would be plain cruel to pull the same trick twice, not to mention when pulling a trick when a man is already down. War is hard but it does have rules to abide by, you know."

Still unsure, Andy took his hand and allowed himself to get pulled up to his feet.

Clem clapped him on the back with a smile. "That was an excellent sparring session, Andy! Maybe someday you'll be able to best me in combat yourself."

"I'm telling you, Clem," Andy insisted, smirking, "you just got lucky. You're gonna have a much harder time next time we do this."

Clem couldn't help but chuckle. "Whatever you say, Andy."

Ann watched from across the tea table, on the other side of the playroom, as Andy continued to talk to Clem.

She was glad that Clem was settling down in the playroom alright, and she was very happy to see Andy making a new friend, but something didn't quite feel right about Clem being here either.

"What's wrong, Annie?" Babette asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You look worried."

Ann tried to force a smile and assure her, "I'm alright, Babette, really-"

"Then why do you keep shooting concerned looks your brother's way."

Ann's smile faltered. "I... uh..."

Babette sighed. "It's ok to be worried about Clem, _mon ami_."

"I just get worried because I know something's not quite right with him," she admitted sheepishly, ashamed to be talking rudely behind someone's back. "I don't think he's a bad person, I really don't! But he's so focused on war and violence.... I'm worried Andy's gonna start talking about that kind of stuff soon."

"We could always get rid of him," Babette suggested with a shrug.

"Babette!"

"What? We got rid of the Captain; Marcella hardly noticed!"

"That was different though. The Captain was already small and Marcella didn't play with him much anyway. She just got Clem and she already loves him so much! She'd be devastated if she suddenly lost him."

Babette smirked. "She'd get over it."

Ann scowled at her, prompting Babette to backtrack, "Relax, relax, I was only kidding. I won't do anything drastic unless he hurts someone, I promise."

Ann sighed. She wanted to avoid violence all together, but that seemed like a reasonable compromise. "Thank you, Babette." She leaned sideways into her girlfriend's arms.

"It's going to be okay, Annie," Babette assured her with a quick kiss to the top of her head. "We're going to figure everything out and it will be okay."

Ann looked at her brother again, who was laughing at something Clem told him. 

"I sure hope so."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look i need to hint at future conflict, okay, there's no where else for this chapter to go right now lmao. But yeah that's it for now, hope you enjoyed, I'll see you next time!
> 
> -CC


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> took me a while to figure out where I wanted this chapter to go but finally got somewhere thanks to a little rubber-ducking from my friends. We got some more epic Clem backstory moments with a sprinkling of transdy so i hope y'all are ready. Enjoy!!!

Clem wasn't sure how to feel about Andy.

It had been about two weeks since he first arrived and he thought he had a pretty good grasp on how the rules of the playroom worked and the roles the different toys played in it.

The one toy he was having trouble pinning down, though, was Andy. 

Sometimes he'd be more of a leading figure, like his sister Ann, telling the others what to do when the situation called for it. Sometimes he'd be an antagonizer, like Babette or the Twin Pennies, causing problems if they felt so inclined to. And sometimes he'd be a helper, like Maxi-Fixit or Susie Pincushion, assisting the others when they couldn't solve their problems on their own.

Most of the time, though, he just sort of did whatever he wanted, often by himself. He'd draw a lot of pictures, all by himself in the corner, or maybe read a book or two in the windowsill. Sure, he'd spend a lot of time with his sister, partaking in whatever activity she decided they were going to do, but when he wasn't doing that, he just spend a lot of time on his own.

Clem found it a bit strange. He was kind of expecting him to be a little more friendly like Ann, or even a bit more outgoing like the persona he so often portrayed.. 

Still, it wasn't like that was necessarily a _bad_ thing. Because Andy spent so much time by himself, Clem found it easier to approach him to spend time together.

They'd talk a lot about whatever came to mind; mild playroom gossip, their opinions of the games Marcella liked to play with them, Clem's favorite war tactics.

He was a good man, that Andy, and he made his stay in the playroom a little bit more bearable. 

Though, he had to admit, he still wished that Jack would hurry up and find him already, take him back home, because some of these games Marcella liked to play felt a little bit..... _demeaning_.

As the playroom door closed, Marcella heading off to run errands with her mother, with Ann in tow, Clem sat up from the tea table, scowling. 

Andy, in a seat of his own not far away, chuckled at the sight. "How'd you like the tea party, Clem?" He asked mischievously.

"I was a soldier, Andy," he complained, straightening his little cap out, "a soldier that fought in a noble war! And yet here I am, playing tea parties with little girls. It's utterly _humiliating_.

Andy clamped his hand onto Clem's shoulder and smirked. "Welcome to the club, brother," he said, "it doesn't get any easier."

Clem groaned as he slid off the chair. "You know, I never had to deal with silly things like this with Jack. He always had the best games to play."

Andy slid off his own chair. "Jack, your old boy?"

Clem nodded. 

"What was it like? Having a boy, that is."

"You never had one before?"

Andy shook his head. "Before Marcella, Annie and I were made for one girl specifically, and then I got locked in an old attic for a real long time before Marcella's parents found me and gave me to her."

"Wow, that's pretty rough. At least you had Ann to keep you company though, right?"

"Actually, she wasn't locked up there with me! We got separated at some point and i don't really know what happened to her all those years, she doesn't talk about it much."

He saw the slight concern on Clem's face and rushed to reassure him, "It's okay though! The attic wasn't that bad, and though I missed Annie loads, the mice were pretty alright company. But enough about me! Tell me about Jack!"

If he'd asked a few weeks earlier, Clem likely would've punched him at the very idea of talking about his past. But slowly, unbeknownst to Clem himself, he'd been dropping his guard ever so slightly each day, to the point he hadn't even considered that this would reveal a very vulnerable part of himself to someone he still didn't know all that well.

His face lit up, not thinking twice about the implications. "Jack was easily the best kid I ever had. 'Course, don't remember the other ones too well, but that didn't make Jack any less special."

"What kind of stuff did you guys like to do?"

"He'd always like to take me out to the park, where we'd play around for hours. Sometimes his friends showed up and he'd sit me down by this one specific tree while he kicked a ball around with them. It was alright though, because even after they were finished playing, he'd always come get me and we'd continue playing once he got home."

"OH!" Clem interrupted his own train of thought. "I remember one time, he brought me along to the Cowal Highland Games-"

"What's that?"

"It's the big traditional gathering that happens back in Scotland! Every August, everyone gathers up to compete very intense athletic events, listen to music, eat great food, and just become one with the whole community! It was incredible; Jack was a bit too young to actually compete, but we had great fun watching the caber toss, and the stone put, and all the other events."

Clem smiled fondly at the memory, then continuing, "He'd read me books once he learned how, and he always snuck me along in his knapsack when he went off to school. Even when he grew out of playing with me all the time like he used to, he still liked to keep me around on the mantleplace or on his desk while he did schoolwork. It was.... really nice, actually."

"Wow, Clem," Andy said softly, "it seems like you and Jack were a real close pair."

"Yeah, we sure were...."

And that's when Clem suddenly became aware of just how much personal information he'd just shared.

His face burning a bit, he looked away and coughed, "I'm... so sorry, I didn't mean to get so carried away there. Next time, feel free to stop me if I start rambling like that again."

"What? No, it's ok!" Andy assured him with a kind smile. "It was really nice hearing you talk about something you're so passionate about!"

Clem was.... taken aback to say the least. He honestly hadn't been expecting this sort of reaction. The last time he'd mentioned this much about his past, which had been a very long time ago, during some time he spent in a discount store, the others there had no interest in his past, some even ridiculing him for his culture. And yet here Andy was, not necessarily understanding but willing to put the work in to understand.

It made him question, just a little, why he was so hesitant to talk about his past in the first place.

He had no plans to change that, of course, but that didn't stop the concept from popping into his head.

Finally, he quietly asked, "You.... you really like listening to me talk?"

Andy nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"

"Well," Clem started, desperate to change the subject after essentially baring a piece of his soul to Andy, "what about you? What was your first kid like?"

"She was a nice one, I think, I don't remember her all that well, to be honest. I remember I was made a few weeks after Ann was, and she was very excited to have someone to hang out with when our girl was gone. She was a good kid, I remember that much."

"What'd you do with her?"

"You know, mushy girl stuff: tea parties, dancing lessons, playing princesses. Not really my cup of tea, but it got better after I changed by a whole lot.

"You..... _changed_? What do you mean?"

"Oh, shoot! That's right! I never told you about that!"

"Told me about what?"

"Well, you see," Andy explained, "When I was first made, I was a girl doll. I really hated that a lot, though, so I ended up becoming a boy and now I'm much happier."

Clem stared back at him, the gears in his little fabric head very visibly turning. He'd never heard of such an idea. He changed from a girl to a boy? You could do that? Was it even allowed?

"C-Clem? You good there, buddy?"

He didn't answer, still trying to process the information he'd just been given.

Finally, he spoke up. "....What did your girl say when she saw you were a boy?"

Andy shrugged. "She didn't really care all that much, really. She changed my name to Raggedy Andy, which I liked a lot, but other than that, she still played with me just about the same."

Clem nodded, taking this in for a moment. 

Then he said, "You know, I like you like this, I think."

Andy smiled, his cheeks dusting with the faintest hint of pink. "Yeah, I like me like this too."

There was an awkward beat of silence.

"You wanna go wrestle a bit?"

"Yeah! I'm telling you, Clem, I'm gonna win this time!"

Clem snorted. "Okay, you keep telling yourself that, Andy."

And it was in that moment he finally got a definitive opinion of Andy.

Clem decided that Andy was a pretty alright toy to be around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clem would be confused yet supportive of Andy's transgenderism and I will die on that hill. BUT YEAH that's all for now, Clem would now die for Andy and they're friends now. We're gonna get more into how their friendship works next time lol. See y'all in the next one!!! 
> 
> -CC


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know anything about how the WWII draft worked and it shows. Also idk if i mentioned this but Jack lives in America, but his parents were Scottish immigrants. Not super relevant to the story but you know it's whatever. Also I know logically Clem wouldn't have muscles bc hes a fabric doll, but shhhhhhh it's for gay reasons so its ok. Enjoy!

_Clem watched from the mantle as Jack gathered his bags and prepared to head out._

_He was really sad to see him go, but he knew he was gonna do great things to help win the war._

_Jack's mother looked on, her face full of worry. "Are you sure you have to go? Can't they just send someone else?"_

_Jack simply sighed with a sad smile. "You know they can't do that, Ma," he said quietly. "They've already sent everyone else they could possibly send. It's my turn to go support the cause now."_

_"Oh, I know," Jack's mother grumbled, "but that doesn't make it any easier to watch you throw yourself into harm's way."_

_Jack set the bags in his hands down on the floor and opened his arms out wide. His mother wordlessly walked in for a hug._

_They stood together, holding each other as Clem helplessly watched._

_A few minutes passed before a truck honked loudly outside._

_"That must be the truck down to the base," Jack murmured, pulling out of his mother's arms._

_Jack's mother took her son's face in her hands. "Promise me you'll make it home safely to me?"_

_"I promise," Jack replied, resting one of his hands on his mother's._

_His mother sighed sadly, pulling his head down to press one last kiss to her only son's forehead._

_"Well," she started, "I suppose you'd better head out before they get too impatient."_

_"Yeah, you're right." Jack picked his bags off the floor and called over his shoulder, "I promise to write whenever I get a chance!"_

_As he left the small house, a little girl burst in from the kitchen._

_"Did he leave yet?!?!" She cried._

_"He just left now. You might still catch him if you hurry."_

_The girl began to race out the door, but paused right before leaving the house. She spun on her heel and ran back towards the mantle, snatching down Clem by one of his legs and running out with him in hand._

_"JACK!!!"_

_Jack threw his bags into the back of the army truck and turned with a grin. "Katie! He stooped down and allowed his little sister to jump into his arms._

_"Do you really have to go?" Katie asked, her eyes welling up a bit._

_Jack wiped away her tears with a smile. "I'm sorry, bairn, I really do. But I'll write to you all whenever I can! You'll hardly know I'm gone."_

_Katie looked at the doll in her hands in a moment before holding it out to her brother and insisting, "You need to take Uncle Clem with you."_

_"Uncle Clem?" Jack took the doll with confusion. "I haven't needed him since I was.... well, since I was your age!"_

_"Yeah, but it's real dangerous out there, you know? I need to make sure that you have someone to protect you while you're fighting."_

_Clem couldn't move, but internally was puffing his chest out. Katie thought he was strong enough to help Jack safe!_

_Jack couldn't help but smile. "I think I'll be able to protect myself just fine, Katie, but," he looked at the doll in his hands fondly, "I'll take Clem along too if you think he'll be able to help."_

_Katie grinned, throwing her arms around her brother as he laughed._

_The army truck honked its horn again as a cranky voice called out, "C'mon, laddie, we haven't got all day!!!"_

_Jack sighed as he set his sister back down and gave her hair a loving tousle. "I'll be back before you know it. Try to watch over Ma and your sisters for me, alright?"_

_Katie nodded seriously, giving him a proud salute._

_Jack climbed into the back of the truck with the other soldiers-to-be, clutching Clem tightly as he looked back at his house._

_His mother was standing in the doorway, his other two sisters hiding behind her as she waved goodbye with a sad smile. Katie was hopping around, waving her arms excitedly, making sure Jack was able to hear her yelling "BYE, JACK!!!!" at the top of her little lungs._

_As Jack waved back, Clem couldn't help but smile internally. He was going to help Jack with the war! He was going to help keep him safe and make sure he gets back alright. Despite being a solider doll himself, he hadn't had much experience with actual war, but surely it couldn't bee too much different from the stories he'd heard from when Jack's father was still around, right? ___

_This was going to be a great adventure, one that he and Jack would get to share together._

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clem stirred awake with a yawn. He sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes, finding the space beside him empty.

This wasn't unusual, since Andy tended to wake up a bit earlier than he did, often leaving him alone to get a bit more sleep.

He stretched out his back for a moment before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and getting to his feet. He wondered where Andy had run off to.

They'd been getting a lot closer, the two of them, over the past few weeks, and Clem had decided that he was going to become friends with this one particular toy. The others..... he didn't quite feel comfortable around them just yet. But Andy was cool and easy to talk to. Clem liked hanging around him, so he decided that he was gonna try to become better friends with him, if only until Jack came to get him

He walked out from behind the bookcase and found Andy talking to Ann about something. As he headed over, he watched as Andy's face lit up and he started heading over to meet Clem in the middle of the room.

"Morning, Clem! Sleep well?"

"Mornin', Andy, I did, thanks for asking." Clem didn't feel like beating around the bush today." "Wanna wrestle?"

Andy smirked. "Are you sure? Because I've been building up my strength these past few days, so I think I'll give you a real run for your money."

Clem rolled his eyes and said, "We'll see about that, laddie."

Andy grinned as he rushed forward, trying to catch Clem off guard, but Clem was ready, grabbing Andy by the waist and using his momentum to slam him to the ground.

"C'mon, you know better than to pull a move like that, don't you?" Clem teased, sticking out his hand for Andy to take.

Andy took it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, a determined grin on his face. 

He and Clem circled around each other, their firsts raised and ready to strike.

Clem swung first, but Andy managed to duck out of the way before his fist could make impact. He drove his knee into Clem's chest, forcing him to take a few stumbling steps back.

Clem grinned. He could see that Andy had come a long way since they first started wrestling. 

He regained his balance and circled around Andy some more, waiting for the perfect moment before lunging in and tacking him to the ground with a grunt, pinning him down with a mischievous grin.

"You've gotten better, Andy, I'll give you that," he taunted, "but you're still not beating me any time soon."

Andy groaned as he pushed Clem off him with his feet, "How'd you even get so good at this?!?"

Clem rolled to his feet with a chuckle and got up, starting to remove his jacket. "I've made my way around my fair share of fights, laddie."

"What do you m-?"

The words died in Andy's throat as he watched Clem turn around and flex his arms. He'd assumed he was just wearing like a regular shirt underneath his jacket, but it ended up being a sort of tank top, which showed of the surprising amount of definition in his fabric muscles. 

"Woah...."

"Jealous much?" Clem teased. He may not have been trying to 'overthrow' Andy's position in the playroom anymore, but that didn't mean he was afraid to assert his dominance as the manliest doll.

A light blush crawled across Andy's cheeks. "Uh, yeah, sure, I guess." He was more focused on staring at Clem's epic muscles than what Clem was actually saying.

Clem looked _really_ good.

Andy noticed how much of Clem's arms had been stitched and restitched back together. "That's an awful lot of scars you got there," he remarked.

Clem turned his head slightly to inspect one of his arms. "Oh yeah, guess I do."

As he hesitantly approached, not wanting to make Clem potentially uncomfortable, Andy asked, "How'd you even get so many?"

"Well, Jack was never the most careful of children.I n fact, he was the reason I got most of these bad boys."

Andy scanned Clem's shoulders and arms for a moment before pointing out one long scar on his shoulder. "How'd you get this one?" He asked.

"Uh, I think Jack accidentally got me caught on on an old nail on the wall."

"And this one?"

"That's from I got dropped while he was climbing up a tree and got caught on some of the branches on the way down.."

"How about this one?"

"Jack and one of his sisters were fighting over me and tugging me by the arms. Caused a bit too much stress on my seams there."

"What about the ones on your knees?"

Clem though about that one for a moment. "You know, I don't remember that one all that well, but I think it had something to do with the dog getting ahold of me."

Andy gaped on in wonder. "You've sure been through a lot, huh, Clem?"

"I guess you could say that, yeah," Clem confirmed with a nod.

"So, you think you could show me some more new wrestling moves?"

"Only if you think you're down for it, lad."

Andy smirked. "Oh please, I was born ready for this."

Off to the side, long forgotten by her brother, Ann shook her head and sighed.

She'd never understand the way boys worked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally made an outline of sorts for this story and not only is it reasonably organized its *long* so. get ready for that i guess. Thanks again for y'all's continued support and I'll see y'all next time!!!!
> 
> -CC


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about taking so long to update, I was legally required to work on the Chanel Boots lol. But we're back and better than ever, we about to get some nice little moments between characters we really don't expect to interact all that much, so I hope y'all enjoy!!!!

"Babette, I'm telling you, you're being ridiculous-"

"Of course you wouldn't understand, Andrew! _You_ are lacking in class and basic dignity. _I_ , on the other hand, am a woman of distinguished grace, and refuse to be viewed as anything less than that!"

Andy ran his hand down his face with a sigh. "Babette. You can barely even tell it's there. You're gonna be fine."

Babette ignored him, wailing in distress, "I'm done for! Surely Marcella will discard me at once and I will never be heard from again!

Clem watched from his seat on a building block at their conversation. Marcella had played with them outside earlier, before she had to go run errands with her mom, and Babette was really upset over getting dirty. Ann sat on a different block beside him, very much zoned out and staring blankly at her girlfriend.

He supposed he couldn't blame her. Though she wasn't his type, he had to admit Babette was very beautiful.

Andy groaned in exasperation. The big thing that was working Babette up so much was a small, barely noticeable really, spot of dirt that had been rubbed into her dress. It wasn't anything that couldn't be fixed in a few minutes, though, just a little mark from when Marcella had sat her down on the ground while playing or something.

And yet, Babette continued to cry out, convinced this was going to be her downfall, despite the fact that this wasn't even the first time she'd gotten dirty.

"Babette, please calm down, this isn't the end of the world-"

"Like you know what the end of the world would be like, you common fool."

Andy scoffed, "Hey, I made my way through whole bunch of dangers just to save you from the Captain, I think that qualifies for the end of the world."

"Maybe if you're an inexperienced coward that doesn't have the first idea about _real_ danger."

"Annie and I traveled through the deep dark woods, fought out way out of the taffy pit, escaped the koo koo kingdom, _and_ foiled the plans of King Koo Koo and Gadzooks. You overthrew _the Captain_ of all people and were a pirate for all of five minutes. You tell me how you think you're the one that went through more danger."

"You don't know what I went through during my revolt!"

Clem sighed. He turned to Ann and asked, "Should we stop them?"

Ann shook her head, barely paying attention. "Don't worry, they do this all the time. It's just how they show affection for each other."

"Really?" Clem glanced back at Babette and Andy, who were at this point full on yelling angrily in each other's faces, then back at Ann. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah! They might be screaming loudly, but they really have become close over the past few months. It's just like their strange, special way of letting each other know how much they care for each other."

"They're..... they're not like this with _everyone_ they're close with, are they?"

"Oh, no way!" Ann assured him. "They're only like this with each other."

Clem looked at them again. 

"This is super weird."

"A little, but it makes the both of them happy, so I've stopped worrying about it too much." Ann rested her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands as she looked at Clem. "Anyway, how you been settling in? It's been just about a month now since you showed up, right?"

Clem realized she was right. It had nearly a month since he'd first showed up in the playroom. He wouldn't quite go as far as to say he was comfortable, as he still wasn't super trusting of anyone except for maybe Andy, but overall it was a pretty nice place to live until Jack came to get him.

"I like it here just fine, I think," he admitted, staring at the floor awkwardly, "I'll admit, I still feel a little out of place sometimes, but you guys are nice enough. It's not bad."

Ann smiled warmly. "I'm glad to hear it, Clem!"

"WHAT DO YOU EVEN KNOW ABOUT PARIS, RAG BOY?!?!"

"WHAT DO _YOU_ KNOW??? YOU WERE IN A TOY STORE THE WHOLE TIME YOU WERE THERE!!!!"

"I KNOW MORE THAN YOU, YOU LITTLE FOOL!"

"....And you're sure they're fine?" Clem asked Ann again, worry prominent in the back of his throat.

Ann simply laughed.

"I'm serious, lassie, Babette looks about ready to rip his arms off."

"It's fine really. It wouldn't be the first time Andy lost an arm after all!"

"Wh-What."

"Uh-huh! We've had our fair share of rips and tears over the years, but we always get stitched back together in the end!"

Clem tried to ignore the rising feelings or concern that bubbled in his chest, but they persisted anyway. Andy.... had gotten hurt? Like, really badly?

It wasn't like Clem hadn't dealt with his own 'injuries' before, but for some reason, the idea of Andy getting hurt, especially losing a whole limb, made him feel.... not great. 

Ann continued, blissfully unaware of Clem's internal dilemma, "I remember there was this one time he got caught on a spinner-wheel up in the attic, and when I tried to pull him off, his arm ended up getting pulled clean off!"

"O-Oh, really?"

Clem could practically see it now, deep in the recesses of his mind: Andy spinning furiously around an garden spinner-wheel, then Ann reaching out and grabbing his hand, his speed ripping it off and leaving the appendage laying limply in her arms.

"Yup! But it all ended up being okay, I was able to sew his arm back on, and now he's good as new!!!"

Clem nodded slowly, trying to process what he'd just heard. Ann..... Ann was the one to hurt Andy. It wasn't on purpose, sure, but.... justice still needed to be served, didn't it?

"Don't worry about it too much, Clem, it all worked out in the- Clem?" Ann looked at Clem, who had visibly stiffened quite a bit and staring distantly in front of him. "Clem, are you ok?"

"You hurt him, Ann."

"I- What?"

Clem turned to face her, his eyes filled with a grim darkness Ann had never seen in another being before, not even from her adventure saving Babette.

"That's what happened that day, isn't it, Ann?" He asked, though it came out less like a question and more like an interrogation. "You ripped his arm off. That's not okay."

Ann felt her candy heart began to thump a little faster- was it fear?- as she stammered, "I-I, uh, it was an accident, and Andy understands that, I promise I-I'd _never_ do something like that on purpose!"

"Do you swear on your very being of existence?!?" Clem demanded quietly, getting very close to Ann's face.

"C-Clem! I don't-!"

"Hey, guys!" Andy greeted, walking over. "What's going on?"

Clem instantly eased up a bit as he faced his buddy, his face softening with a small smile. "Hello, Andy, I was just chatting with your lovely sister here, isn't that right, lassie?"

Ann blinked a few times, utterly confused by the severe tonal whiplash she was getting. "Umm-"

"By the way, Andy," Clem continued, acting as if nothing was wrong, "Ann mentioned that once you had your arm ripped off? What.... what happened there?"

Andy chuckled, oblivious to the forced pleasantries in Clem's voice, "Oh yeah, that. It wasn't all that bad, really, Ann fixed me up real good after that, and look! I'm all better now!" To emphasize, Andy swung his arm around a bit, proving that it was sewn on real firmly now.

Clem smiled. "Well, that's good to hear." He supposed if Andy was alright with what she'd done, then he could be okay with it too. He got up from his block and added, "I think I'm gonna go see what the Camel's up to. He seems like a pretty nice fellow to be around."

As he walked off in search of the Camel, Andy called after him, "Have fun with that, buddy!"

He turned to face his sister, and was surprised to find her a little shaken, staring at the retreating Clem's back. "Annie? Are you ok?"

"....I think Clem scares me a little bit."

"What? Why?"

Ann shook her head. "I'm not sure. Like trust me, he's a nice guy, and I'm glad he lives here, but.... sometimes he does..... really weird things."

Andy looked towards Clem, who had stopped by the Camel and was beginning to. chat with him.

"Can't say I've noticed anything really weird about him," Andy admitted slowly, "but if it really worries you, I'll keep an eye on him for you, okay?"

Ann smiled with relief. "Thanks, Andy."

"Not a problem, Annie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have much to say here, hope y'all enjoyed!! See y'all next time!!!!
> 
> -CC


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just setting up some groundwork for upcoming stuff before the next chapter, which is when shit's really gonna hit the fan lol. But you don't need to worry just yet, friends! We got bros bonding! It's a good time don't even worry about it. Enjoy!

Clem frowned, staring blankly at the drawing he'd been working on. He was really starting to wish he possessed some form of artistic talent.

Andy looked over from his own drawing with curiosity. "Whatcha drawin', Clem?"

"Well, it's uh...." Clem looked at his drawing.

It was a very crude image, with little stick figures. Clem was there (you could tell by the kilt and the scarf), next to another larger figure with a big smile. They were both holding swords and appeared to be fighting some sort of large monster.

It was in this moment Clem realized his drawing honestly kind of sucked. 

"It's nothing, just some doodles," he finally decided, shrugging.

"Is that Jack?" Andy asked, pointing at the larger figure.

"....Yeah, yeah it is," Clem answered a bit hesitantly.

Andy scooted over closer to him and said with a sympathetic smile, "You miss him a lot, don't you?"

"He should've come by now," Clem grumbled, furrowing his brows as he stared at his bad drawing. "I don't know what's taking him so long."

"Maybe he just got lost along the way?" Andy suggested with a shrug.

Clem sighed. That was so unlike Jack, he'd always had such a natural sense of direction. Still, he didn't want to worry Andy, so he just muttered, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Andy could tell that Clem still missed Jack a whole ton, even though he was Marcella's doll now, but he had an idea of what might make him feel better. 

"You got any good war stories?"

"You really wanna know what I did in the war?" Clem asked, raising an eyebrow with a teasing smile. "It can get pretty gruesome at times, laddie."

"Oh, please," Andy scoffed back, rolling his eyes, "I eat gruesome for breakfast. In fact, recently I've been dealing with a gruesome deficiency, what with all these _girl's toys_ being to scared to talk about cool stuff like that."

Clem couldn't help but chuckle.

"Just tell me a story, will you?"

"Alright, alright, what do you want to know?"

Andy considered this for a moment, then asked, "Did you get to fight in any battles?"

Being a doll, Clem had not, in fact, gotten to actually fight in the war, but Andy looked so excited and Clem didn't want to disappoint him. Surely a bit of embellishments to the truth wouldn't hurt, right?

Smiling, Clem nodded. "Sure did, laddie, I've fought my fair share of skirmishes. The first one that comes to mind is the time I snuck behind enemy lines to steal some very important battle plans."

Eyes wide with interest, Andy murmured, "Woah, that's crazy. What did you do?"

"It all started when the General called me into his tent and informed me that he had a important mission for me, a mission that would be vital to winning the war, a mission that needed to be done without Jack by my side."

"What? Why couldn't Jack come along?"

"It's not like I could move around him, laddie. Besides, he was needed in his platoon for another assignment." "Huh, I guess that makes sense." "Still, I knew he wanted us to win this war as much as anyone, and he'd want me to accept the mission, so I did."

Andy sat there, fully entranced in Clem's tale. "What did you have to do?"

"I had to make my way through enemy lines undetected. It wasn't easy, and I almost blew my few cover a few times back there, but somehow I managed to sneak my way into the Axis's general's main headquarters. I had been assigned to look for a specific document, don't remember what exactly though, that would give the Allies the upper hand in tactical defense." At this point, Clem was stringing together words that sounded like they were army-related.

Andy was none the wiser, though. "Woah, that's awesome!" He exclaimed.

Clem nodded. "It was vital that I get the documents back to our base as soon as possible, before the Axis army changed their plans. But just as I was about to leave HQ, that's when they spotted me."

"Oh no!" Andy gasped.

"They began shooting on me before I even knew what was happening. I just barely had time to hide behind a wall of sandbags. They wouldn't hold forever, so I needed to find a way out and fast."

"What did you end up doing?"

"A guard ended up rushing over to see what the commotion was, and that gave me the chance to rush him, socking him in the head and taking his gun. As soon as I managed to work up the nerve, I popped out from the wall and shot the gunmen in a blazing shower of bullets. Didn't get out of there completely scot-free, though, a bullet or two ran it's way through me as well.

"Oh my gosh! Are you ok?!?"

Clem smiled. "'Twas nothing I couldn't handle, laddie, it really helps to be made of cloth and stuffing. I managed to sneak my way out of there before others came and saw the commotion, and made it back to my base safely. I was stitched back up and awarded for my bravery in the line of duty."

"Woah," Andy mused, "that's so cool!" I can't believe you really fought them all off like that. Jack and his friends must've thought you were incredible!"

Something about that statement made Clem's stomach sink a bit. Yes, it was true that Jack loved him so much, even once he'd stopped playing with them, but the other soldiers in his rank didn't have nearly enough respect for him, not in real life. He found himself reminded of when he first met Jack's friends.

_"Ey, Jackie! Whatcha got there, mate?"_

_Clem felt himself get ripped from the duffel bag he’d been hiding out in and raised above someone’s head by the arm. From his position, he could see he was in a big room filled with various bunks lining the walls. Young men filled the room, lounging around, including, Clem noticed, an irritated-looking Jack._

_“C’mon, Lucas, give him back,” he grumbled, reaching out to grab Clem from the other guy’s hands._

_The man, Lucas, Clem supposed, instead pushed Jack back with one arm, holding Clem further away. "Awwwww, what's wrong, Jackie? Don't want your little dolly to get hurt?"_

_Jack attempted to push his way forward, maybe grab Clem's leg, but Lucas was already throwing Clem across the room, where he landed in the arms of another snickering soldier._

_"Yeah, Jack, why'd you bring a _doll_?" This new man teased. "This is war, not playtime." _

_Clem found himself being tossed from soldier to soldier, always just out of Jack's reach. The other men joked and jeered, laughing hysterically at their own mean joke, before finally Clem was snatched up by a huge, towering man._

_He sighed, "C'mon, guys, what's wrong with you? You're soldiers, for Christ's sake, not children!_

_Lucas scoffed, "It was just a little harmless fun, Caleb, no need to get your knickers in a twist. We were just messing around, right, Jackie?"_

_Jack took Clem back from Caleb with a greatful smile. "Thanks Caleb." ___

____

_Caleb smiled warmly in response._

_"What's so special about that damn doll anyway?"_

____

_"I'll have you know, Stevie," Jack retorted, "that this is Uncle Clem, he was my favorite doll growing up as a kid-"_

____

_" **Uncle** Clem? That's a pretty stupid name-"_

____

_"Shut up, Liam." Caleb elbowed the heckler in the side, causing him to fall into an empty bunk._

____

_Jack continued, looking fondly at his childhood toy, "My baby sister Katie wanted me to take him along, for luck, to help kep me safe. She's real worried about me, my whole family is, and if this gives them a little peace of mind while I'm out here, then..... then it's really the least I could do."_

____

_There was a choking silence that fell upon the men. That had hit a little to close for them._

____

_They'd all had families, friends, lovers, folks they'd been forced to leave behind once they got drafted. Deep inside, they all knew that they weren't all going to be making it home. At least one man in there was going home in a little wooden box, that was a certainty._

____

_Finally, Caleb clapped his hand on Jack's back and said, "It's good to have Uncle Clem around, I'd say. We're gonna need all the help we can get."_

____

_There was a chorus of agreement amongst the soldiers: Nothing wrong with a lucky charm, Maybe he would help with the war efforts, Smart thinking there, Jack._

____

_Liam took a step closer to Jack, asking, "You really think he's gonna help us win?"_

____

_"I don't think so," Jack said with a solemn smile, fixing Clem's hat a little, "but I sure hope so."_

____

"Clem? Are you ok?"

Clem blinked and turned to face Andy, who was looking a little worried.

"Oh, sorry about that, Andy, I think I got lost in thought for a minute there," Clem said with a sheepish smile.

"I was just asking if you had any more good stories to tell.

Clem felt his face heat up a bit. There was _no_ way he was going to be able to spin another tale that would satiate Andy's curious nature. "Uh, I'd say enough about me for now, laddie. What about you? Didn't you mention something about fighting off a taffy monster? What's that all about?"

"Oh yeah, that's right, I never told you about the incident with the Captain."

"Who's the Captain?" Clem asked, furrowing his brows.

"The Captain was this guy that used to live in the playroom. He was stuck inside an old snowglobe, so we really didn't talk to him much. I honestly forgot he was there half the time, he was just stuck high up on the bookshelf."

"What did he do?"

"Well, you see, the day Babette showed up, he took one look at her and decided he was in love with her, so he ended up tricking Annie into helping him escape his snowglobe, kidnapped Babette, and sailed off to the high seas."

Clem could only blink, astounded. 

"Yeah, man, it was pretty crazy. Of course, Annie wanted to run after them, go save Babette, even though we've never gone farther than the backyard before, but she was insistent, so I offered to go with her, keep her safe. First we had to travel through the deep, dark woods, which was.... not scary, for a strong, tough, and terrific boy like myself."

"How brave," Clem chuckled.

"I was pretty brave, yeah, but Annie was real scared. We'd never been in the deep, dark woods before. I managed to calm her down a bit though, by reminding her that I was there with her, and I showed her the paper flower she made me way back when I got starched-"

"A paper flower?"

"Yeah, this right here!" Andy reached into his pants and pulled out a paper daisy, a bit crumpled, but still really pretty. "Annie made this for me ages ago, back when I got washed and starched by mistake, because she knew how upset I was. And now whenever I look about it, it makes me feel good because it reminds me of how much she cares."

"Woah," Clem mumbled, "that's real nice of her."

Andy nodded with a smile. "Yeah, Annie's the best."

That's when he remembered something important. "Speaking of Ann, she mentioned something about you being weird the other day."

"W-Weird?"

"Yeah, she said you were fine for a bit, but then she mentioned the day my arm got pulled off and then you started being weird?"

"Oh, yes, that," Clem muttered, his face flushing pink. "I'd just gotten a bit worried, because she mentioned hurting you, and I didn't want you to get hurt again, because that's not okay. Looking back, though, I think I might've overreacted a bit."

"You think? Annie's afraid you're gonna sneak over in the middle of the night to rip one of _her_ arms off."

Clem winced. "Oh no. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Don't stress about it to much, Clem. Just apologize to her whenever you get a chance, yeah? She's not the type to hold grudges, but she'd still really appreciate it."

"Right, of course."

"Also, you think I need protection? From my own sister?" Andy scoffed teasingly. "I'm the strongest toy in this playroom, I don't need protection from anyone!" To prove his point, he playfully shoved Clem in the side. 

Clem barked out a laugh. "If you're so tough, why can't you beat me in wrestling?"

".....That's low, Clem, real low." Still, Andy couldn't help but chuckle.

"Don't be mad because it's true."

"Alright, alright, let's get back to the story. Now, where was I again?"

"The deep, dark woods," Clem reminded him.

Andy continued to recount the events of his little adventure with his sister. He told Clem about meeting the Camel, the Taffy Pit and the Greedy, the Loonie Knight, Loonieland, King Koo Koo and his nefarious plans, even about Babette's revolt and the sea monster Gadzooks.

Clem listened intently, awed by all the incredible things his good friend had done. He had the strangest feeling that unlike his own story, Andy's was the truth. It made him a little sad to think about, because here Andy was, trusting him with his greatest adventure, and Clem couldn't even tell him the truth. Some friend he was.

Still, he tried not to focus on that too much, and instead focused on Andy. Surely there would be something he could do in the future to make it up to him.

"...And that's when Marcella brought all of us back into the playroom."

"Wait, even the Captain?"

"Unfortunately, yeah."

"What ever ended up happening to him? I don't think I've ever seen him."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Babette ended up killing him."

"What."

Andy nodded with a shrug, oblivious to Clem's horror. "She invited him into her house one time and then we just never saw him again. I asked Ann and she said Babette just kicked him out of the playroom, but I wouldn't be surprised if she actually ended up doing him in and just told Annie that to spare her feelings."

"O-oh, uh, okay." Clem was suddenly very scared of Babette, and made a mental note to never upset her.

"....You know if you add some fire to your drawing, it'll probably look cooler."

"Laddie I'm gonna need a moment you just threw me a curveball right there."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ACCIDENTALLY WROTE WAYYYY TOO MUCH but you know it be like that sometimes lol. Very excited to write the next chapter (fun fact: there will be a content warning because it delves into some *dark* themes) But yeah that's all for now! I'll see y'all next time!!!!


End file.
